1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a honeycomb structure position recognizing method in which a position of a honeycomb can be precisely recognized.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a motor vehicle, an exhaust gas purifying converter is provided in an exhaust system of an engine to purify the exhaust gas. As shown in FIG. 9, the exhaust gas purifying converter is comprised of a honeycomb structure 1 which is provided with an outer shell 11, separation walls 12 arranged in the form of a honeycomb within the outer shell 11, and a number of cells 13 which are defined by the separation walls 12 and which extend through the honeycomb structure 1.
In accordance with automaton of industrial equipment in recent years, for example, a position of the honeycomb structure 1 is recognized by a camera 92 in a conveyance line thereof using an automation, such as a robot. In the position recognition method of the honeycomb structure 1, the latter is located on a pallet 3, so that the axis direction D of the honeycomb structure is identical to the direction of gravity. Image data of the honeycomb structure 1 is picked up by the camera 92, so that the position of the honeycomb structure 1 can be recognized based on the image data and the honeycomb structure 1 is conveyed by the automaton.
However, the position recognition method of the honeycomb structure using the camera 92 has the following drawbacks.
Namely, the honeycomb structure 1 is provided with the plural separation walls 12 and cells 13 and, hence, when the honeycomb structure 1 is placed with the axial direction D identical to the vertical direction, little light can impinge upon the bottom portions 131 of the cells 13. When an image of the portion of the honeycomb structure 1 that is located directly below the camera 92 is taken by the camera 92, the photographed portion of the honeycomb structure 1 is the bottom portion 131.
Consequently, the portion of the honeycomb structure 1 that is placed directly below the camera 92 and that is photographed by the camera 92 is picked up as a dark image as indicated at 901 in FIG. 10 because this portion is directly viewed by the camera 92. The dark image portion 901 results in production of a noise signal having an adverse influence upon a precise position recognition of the honeycomb structure using the camera 92.